#YuvaNyay: Rahul's 5-point guarantee for youth

As Rahul Gandhi resumes his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra on 8 March (Friday) today in Gujarat, the campaign highlight of Day 55 is the set of five Yuva Nyay (Justice for Youth) guarantees the Congress announced for the youth of the nation yesterday, 7 March.

The five-point announcement includes:

1. Bharti Bharosa (assurance of recruitment): a promise that 30 lakh permanent government posts that are currently lying vacant will be filled (presumably with an emphasis on youth);

2. Pehli Naukri Pakki (promise of a first job): guaranteed apprenticeship for every holder of a graduate degree or diploma, with a stipend of Rs 1 lakh per year;

3. Gig Economy Mein Samajik Suraksha (social security in the gig economy): new laws encompassing social security and pensions as well as better working conditions for gig workers;

4. Yuva Roshni ('young light' start-up fund): youth-led start-up businesses to get funding support from a Rs 5,000 crore national fund to be distributed across districts;

5. Paper Leak se Mukti (freedom from paper leaks in recruitment exams): legislation to prevent paper leaks and stringent action against those responsible for fair and just examinations.

Sharing the five-point agenda on X, the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra's official handle called these 'the real masterstroke against Modi-made unemployment'.

'This approach embodies the true essence of empowering India's startup ecosystem — by focusing on tangible guarantees rather than [the prime minister's jumlas,' the BJNY handle added.

The Congress leader also posted on his own handle in Hindi, saying:

'It is the resolve of Congress to make the dreams of the youth a reality,' Gandhi added.

As the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra passed through Rajasthan on Thursday, 7 March—where Gandhi spoke of the new guarantees for the first time—party president Mallikarjun Kharge also posted on X to amplify the message, promising a Rozgar Revolution (an Employment Revolution) in India once the Congress comes to power.

Netizens who have followed the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from the start will recall a conversation that had almost an easter egg of the youth guarantees, when Rahul Gandhi was speaking to some young women who had been promised and then passed over for recruitment in the Agniveer scheme. At the time, a party member had reminded Gandhi that a campaign for guaranteed employment of youth was in the works and due for announcement soon—and Gandhi had asked for a new campaign in addition that would specifically focus on the Agnipath scheme and how it had let the aspiring youth down.

Promotional posters for the 5 new guarantees shared across the Congress eco-system currently feature both Kharge and Sonia Gandhi at the top, alongside Rahul Gandhi with various young people as the main image.

It will not escape the keen political observer's notice that the Congress has set up these new poll promises ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as 'Rahul's Guarantee'—a clear and bold head-on challenge to the Prime Minister's favourite 'Modi ki guarantee'.